# erupt

Pronunciation: say "i-RUPT" /ɪˈɹʌpt/

## Verb

1. To throw out lava, ash, or water with violent force, as a volcano or geyser does.
   - Simple: To throw out lava, water, or steam with great force, like a volcano or geyser.
   - _Mount St. Helens erupted with little warning in 1980._
   - _Geysers erupt when underground water becomes superheated and the pressure breaks loose._
2. To burst forth suddenly; to break out into sudden sound, activity, or conflict.
   - Simple: To suddenly break out or burst into the open.
   - _Applause erupted the moment she walked onstage._
   - _Protests can erupt whenever fuel prices rise sharply._
3. To suddenly release built-up emotion or tension, with feelings breaking out all at once.
   - Simple: To suddenly let out strong feelings that have built up inside.
   - _The manager erupted at the slightest mistake._
   - _Tensions erupt whenever the two rivals meet._
4. Of birds, insects, or other animals, to suddenly appear in a region in large numbers.
   - Simple: To suddenly show up in a place in very large numbers, as animals or insects do.
   - _Snowy owls erupted southward that winter in unusual numbers._
   - _When prey is abundant, certain rodent species erupt across the tundra._

## Origin

From Latin eruptus, the past participle of ērumpō ("to break out of, to burst out from"), which is formed from e ("out") plus rumpō ("to break").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/erupt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).